 "Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the group photo session during the Brics Summit at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center in Xiamen, southeastern China's Fujian Province on September 4, 2017. (Photo: Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Pool/AFP)")
China Eastern Airlines will restart round-trip flights between Shanghai and New Delhi from November 9, marking a significant step towards normalising India-China ties after more than five years.
The airline will operate three flights a week — every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday — becoming the first Chinese carrier to resume direct India services since the suspension of flights in 2020 amid the pandemic and border tensions.
According to the airline’s schedule, flight MU563 will depart Shanghai Pudong Airport at 12:50 pm and arrive at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 5:45 pm (local time). The return flight MU564 will take off from Delhi at 7:55 pm, landing in Shanghai at 4:10 am the next day. Tickets are already on sale.
China Eastern said the A330-200 aircraft will be used for this route, offering a comfortable cabin experience, in-flight Wi-Fi, and instant messaging services.
The decision to resume flights was finalised during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin earlier this year, where both sides agreed to restore air connectivity between select cities.
Earlier this month, IndiGo announced new routes to Guangzhou from Kolkata (from October 26) and Delhi (from November 10), signalling a broader reopening of air links between the two countries.
China’s foreign ministry described the move as a “positive step” that shows both sides are “faithfully acting on the understandings” reached between the two leaders to improve bilateral relations.